Regulating apparatus



Jan. 8, 1935.

M. O SNEDIKER REGULATING APPARATUS Original Filed March 19, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l REGULAT ING APPARATUS Original F'ilecl March 19, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j F If n mwq'L g f iwummmg w v A 04 R issue d Jan. 8, 193 5 g p t Re.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REGULATING APPARATUS Morton 0. Sncdiker, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Powers Regulator Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Original No. 1,530,917, dated March 24, 1925, Serial No. 626.246, March 19, 1923. Application for reissue August 16, 1934, Serial No. 740,147

' '1 Claims. (01. ass-44) My invention relates to thermostatic regulameans of a thermostat 14 mounted within the tion and particularly to novel means adapted room. The thermostat may be of the type shown for employment in the controlling of relative in Fig. 3, the construction and operation of which humidity in rooms, are well known in the art but which for con- 5 One of the objects or my invention is to imvenience will be briefly described. 5

prove the means employed for maintaining rela- The thermostat comprises a casing. 15, having tive humidity and to adapt such means for use in a compressed air inlet passage 16 and an outlet rooms in which operations are carried on repassage 1'7. A pipe 18 is connected with a suitquiring the, maintenance of certain specified air able source of air supp y While the Pipe 19 is conditions connected to the valve 13. Mounted in the 0215- 10 It is, of course, well known that slight variain 5 s e b w 0 Containing a thermotions in the dry air temperature necessitates relasensitive liquid, one wall of the bellows being tively greater variations in the moisture content rigidly connected to an arm 21, the lower end of the air in order to maintain a constant rela- Of w c is pp r on an adjusting b t 22.

tive humidity. In the carrying out of certain At an intermediate poi a Second adjustin e- 15 operations, particularly in the treatment of silk, ment 23 acts as afulcrum and provides for the cotton, etc. it is necessary to maintain a predefine adjustment as required. termined relative humidity, notwithstanding an he other well of the bellows is connected increase in out-door temperature to a point above h h a member 24 130 a flexible diaphragm 5 the predetermined normal for the room. This secured to the casi g. The member 4 provides a 20 improvement has to do with means influenced by valve seat 26 and an exhaust port 27. A valve 28 changes in the dry air temperature for immecooperates with the valve seat 26 and is located in diately changing the moisture content of the air a chamber 29 in the casing 15 and in communidelivered to the desired space. The mechanism cation With the Outlet Passage e p es includes, as the principal element in the com- 16-17 are p d in d out Of communication 25 bination, a pair of thermostats, one influenced by y means of 21 Valve Contacting e V lve 8 the dry air temperature, the othe influenced and normally held in seated position bymeans of and serving to maintain constant the temperaa Spring 31. In the position of the parts shown ture of a supply of. water for delivery with the in the Steam pp y a v wou d be in a 30 incoming air, the dry air thermostat serving to static condition. However, upon an increase in 30 modifythe action of the liquid control thermotemp in the oom the bellows would be tat, As a ult of the u e of thi apparatus expanded and the motion thereof would serve to a slight change in the dry air temperature effects Open the Valve permitting pressure he p s a material change in the temperatur of th into the pipe '19 to the valve 13 and to closethe.

water supplied to the space under control; con- Same. AS the temperature drops due t e 35 sequently the amount of moisture taken up, due shutting Off Of the Steam, the fi st ion due to to a variation in the degree of vaporization, i contraction of the thermostatic element is the varied to a degree sufiicient to maintain constant closing 0f the Valve Fllrther on ctio of the relative humidity. the bellows due to the movement of the valve 28 40 Th in e tion will b more readily d t d out of contact with the valve 30 is the opening of 40 by reference t th accompanying d i the valve 28 permitting escape of the air pressure wherein; through the port 27, and the opening of the steam Fig. 1 is a view partly diagrammatic in form, Valve illustrating the application of apparatus such as I This Provides for the e0n131010f the d y i t mcontemplated; perature within the room 10. However, in order 45 Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through CQIItI'OI the relative humidity. means Such as one of the regulators employed; and the spray 32 are provided, water being supplied Fig. 3 is a similar view through the other therthrough the p 33 and Steam for di y the mostatic regulaton. temperature of the water through the pipe 34. A

Referring particularly t Fig 1, it W111 be Seen thermostatic element 35 is inserted in the spray 50 that the apparatus is shown installed in connecp p and h eetien Of this thermostat o t tion with walls providing a room 10 adapted t the supply of steam through the valve 36. The b heated by steam-coils 11, air being blown i t thermostat for effecting this operation is illusthe room over the coils 'by means of the motor tratedin detail in Fig. 2.

driven Ian 12. A steam valve 13 is controlled by For convenience the thermostatic element com- 55 prises two materials of difierent degrees of expansibility under heat, the inner element 37 which is relatively movable carrying a valve seat 38 in communication with a coil 39 of flexible pipe located within a chamber 40 which is in constant communication with a source of maintained airpressure through a pipe 41. The coil of pipe 39 is in communication with an outlet pipe 42 connected to the steam valve 36, and expansion spring 38 tends to unseat the valve member 52.

In the thermostat just described, an increase in temperature of the water supply results in a movement of the thermostatic element 37 and a partial opening of the valve 52. This permits the escape of air from the chamber 40 through the coil of the pipe 39, into the pipe 42 which eflects the partial closing of, the steam valve 36. In order to prevent tooabrupt movement of the steam valve and to assist in maintaining a balanced condition as required, I provide a constantly open air escape port 43 controlled by a set screw 44, by means of which the area of the escape opening is limited to the desired extent.

In the event that the dry air temperature in the room were maintained absolutely constant, a predetermined temperature of water to the spray could be maintained and the relative humidity would therefore be constant. However, variations in the dry air temperature due to excessive out-door temperatures cannot be avoided and in order to maintain the desired constant relative humidity it is necessary to materially change the temperature of the spray water immediately following changes in the dry air temperature. To that end I provide means for modifying the action of the water control thermostat by the air thermostat. This means comprises a second thermostat 14 which is a duplicate of that shown in Fig. 3 and which might, except for practical considerations, be accomplished by the use of one instrument instead of the two shown in Fig. 1. However, the second thermostat 14, shown in Fig. 1, has the same air supply pipe 18 and an air discharge pipe 45 which communicates with thebellows 46 shown in Fig. 2. One wall of the bellows is fixed in a frame 47 rigidly held, while the other wall carries a threaded plunger 48 which may have an adjusting finger 49 secured thereto. The plunger rests against the movable wall 50 of a sealing-bellows and contacts a stem 51 which bears at its inner end against a valve 52 which controls the port 38. It will be seen that upon an increase in dry air temperature .111 the room the air pressure permitted by the thermostat to enter the pipe 45 will be exerted in the bellows 46 and the force thereof transmitted to the stem 51 tending to more firmly seat the valve 52. Therefore a much greater increase in water temperature must occur before surficient elongation of the thermostatic element will take place to open the valve 52 and effect the shutting oii of the steam valve 36. Thus upon an increase of temperature in the room the water temperature in the spray is materially increased, and although the temperature of the heating coils will be immediately reduced due to the action of the dry air thermostat the higher water temperature will enable the taking up of a greater amount of water and serve to maintain the relative humidity.

N o attempt is made herein to claim the system of maintaining-the relative humidity. The appended claims are directed'to the apparatus by which the adjustment of one thermostat is changed by the action of a second thermostat in fluenced by a different medium. As stated in the preceding paragraph, a change in the dry air by the second thermostat-in other words, for

each degree of change in the dry air temperature there will be several degrees increase in the water temperature. This is brought about by controlling the adjustment of the second thermostat and it is obvious that this ratio may be changed as required. It is also obvious that by a reversal of the parts, the opposite action may take placethat is, if the situation should call for a reverse operation, the second thermostat .could be arranged to provide for a reduced instead of an increased temperature of the medium controlled thereby, following an increase in temperature of the medium in which the first thermostat is located.

I claim:

1. In regulating apparatus, the combination of a thermostat having its thermo-sensitive element located in a medium whose temperature is to be controlled, a valve for controlling the supply of heat to said medium, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said valve, a thermostatic valve operable by said thermostat for controlling the action of said fluid under pressure on said heat controlling valve, a second thermostat, and means operable thereby for changing the position of said thermostatic valve relative to said first thermostat.

2. In regulating apparatus, the combination of a thermostat having its thermo-sensitive element located in a medium whose temperature is to be controlled, a valve for controlling the supply of heat to said medium, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said valve, a thermostatic valve operable by said thermostat for controlling the action of said fluid under pressure on said heat controlling valve, a second thermostat distantly located and having its thermo-sensitive element in a different medium than that in which said first thermostat is located, and means operable by said second thermostat for changing the position of said thermostatic valve relative to said first thermostat.

3. In means of the class described, the combination of a thermostat adapted to be interposed in a conduit for a body of fluid, means for supplying heat to said body of fluid, a valve aflected by the movement of said thermostat, said valve controlling the supply of heat to said body of fluid,

a. plunger abutting said valve, a diaphragm bel-" lows, a movable portion of which is in contact with said plunger, and a second, distantly-located thermostat acting on said diaphragm bellows to position said plunger in its relation to said valve.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a thermostatic element, a valve movable relative thereto and controlling the supply of heat to a space, a plunger abutting. said valve, a diaphragm bellows, a. movable wall of which abuts said plunger, and a second, distantly-located thermostatacting on said bellows to position said plunger and thereby to change the adjustment of said first thermostatic element.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing having an inlet and an outlet for fluid under pressure, a thermostatic element movable relative to said casing, a valve cooperatingwith and movable relative to said element, a flexible tube providing communication between said element at one side of said valve and the outlet from said casing, valve-operating means independent of said thermostatic element, a second, distantly-located thermostat which is thermally responsive to an independent heat condition, and

means operable by said second thermostat for positioning said valve-operating means.

6. In regulating apparatus, the combination of a thermostat having a movable thennostatic element, a valve primarily controlled by the movement of said element, said valve serving to regulate a supply of heat to a space, asecondary control for said valve, consisting of means acting in opposition to said thermostaticelement, a second, distantly-located thermostat, and a diaphragm bellows actuated by said second thermostat for moving said secondary valve-control means.

7. In a thermostatic device, the combination of a thermostatic element, a valve associated therewith and adapted to control a supply of heat, a plunger acting on said valve in opposition to said for positioning said plunger, a diaphragm bellows acting through said manually operable means to vary the position of said plunger, and a second, distantly-located thermostatic element for actuating said diaphragm bellows.

MORTON 0. SNEDIKER.

thermostatic control, manually operable means 

